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Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II to extract green energy from Rooftop solar sector
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- The Programme envisages installation of 4,000 MW of RTS capacity in the residential sector
- A total of 7.3 GW RTS capacity has been achieved till 30.11.2022
With an objective to achieve 40 GW of rooftop solar  capacity in the country, the Government of India launched Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II on 8.3.2019. The Programme envisaged installation of 4,000 MW of RTS capacity in the residential sector by providing Central Financial Assistance and incentives to DISCOMs for achievement of additional RTS capacity in a year over and above the installed capacity of the previous year. A provision of total central financial support of Rs. 11814 Cr, including service charges to the implementing agencies, has been made under the programme, which was initially scheduled for completion by 2022. However, a total of 7.3 GW RTS capacity has been achieved till 30.11.2022.
Apart from reasons such as apprehension of possible revenue loss to DISCOMs, delay in approvals and installation of net/gross meters by DISCOMs, lack of uniform regulations, lack of awareness, etc., the implementation of the Programme has been significantly affected due to Covid-19 pandemic and DISCOMs/ State Implementing Agencies have sought extension in the time-line for execution of projects under the Programme. Ministry has also conducted third party evaluation of the Programme and based on the recommendations, the Programme has been extended till 31.3.2026.
This information was given by Shri R.K Singh, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
Sainik School Kazhakoottam entrance exam – 2021: Final merit list published
The final merit list of All India Sainik School Entrance Exam – 2021 is published on the school website http://www.sainikschooltvm.nic.in . Candidates who are declared as Fit by the medical board will be called for further admission procedure. A letter of communication will be sent through the registered email address of the candidate. Candidates listed in the selected list and not in receipt of Call-up letter till 20th August 2021 may contact the school office.
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Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Shri Arjun Munda inaugurates e-Symposium “Emergent North-East India: Strategic and Developmental Imperatives in Handicrafts” organized by IIM, Shillong
Shri Arjun Munda, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs inaugurated an e-Symposium on Handicrafts titled “Emergent North-East India: Strategic and Developmental Imperatives in Handicrafts” organized by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Policy Research and Analysis, Indian Institute of Management , Shillong today.
Delivering inaugural address, Shri Arjun Munda said that the traditional lifestyle in India is very artistic and creative. But we could not make our due place in global market due to lack of proper marketing management. He cited the example of Agarbatti which is now mostly imported in India. He opined that the Bamboos in North Eastern States can be used in making better quality of Agarbattis and the burden of import can be lessened. He also mentioned the idols of Bhagwan Ganesha which are also imported in varied formats in our country whereas we are more capable of making them in more artistic manner. He said that even a very small domestic item like Nail Cutter is not manufactured in India just because of lack of good quality of steel whereas our country exports iron ore. He said that all North Eastern States can very easily be converted in to Organic States to produce quality Organic agro-products.
He emphasized that the Trading Mindset of our artisans should be replaced by Entrepreneurship by upgrading their skills. Up-skilling is now the need of the hour. He said that a proper working plan has to be prepared to meet our market needs as lack of proper working plan results in low quality products with high costs. We should focus on skill up-gradation of our artisans. We should find out as to what is the global market potential of the products of our artisans. He suggested that the products of our artisans should be attractive and eye-catching and their costs should be less but quality should be high.
The Minister stressed on the lesser dependence on foreign products and said that the institutions like IIMs and others can play an important role in this regard by searching global markets for our artisans. They should try to link small artisans with big industries, he added..
The e-Symposium on handicrafts is a part of the e-Symposia Series initiated by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Policy Research and Analysis, IIM Shillong. The e-Symposium Series is conceived as a platform that brings together policy makers, scholars, institutions, corporates and civil society to discuss and deliberate development initiatives in the North East Region.
Ministry of Defence
Seizure of Narcotics by Coast Guards
Indian Coast Guard ship apprehended one Pakistani fishing boat “Al-Madina” off Gujarat coast and recovered narcotics.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence  is pursuing the prosecution of the apprehended Pakistani crew.Besides, Indian Coast Guard is maintaining intensive surveillance in sea areas off Gujarat coast through deployment of its surface and air assets alongwith all stakeholders of coastal security mechanism to ensure credible response to any such incident in future.In addition, electronic surveillance of coastal area is regularly undertaken through the Coastal Surveillance Network . Further, close coordination is being maintained with the intelligence agencies including Narcotics Control Bureau  and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence  for expeditious information exchange to enable immediate response to any emerging situation.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Naikin a written reply to ShriLal SinhVadodiain Rajya Sabha today.
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Ministry of Defence
Maritime Partnership Exercise with Royal Australian Navy Conclude in the Bay of Bengal
A Maritime Partnership Exercise involving Royal Australian Navy ships HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Anzac and Indian Navy Ships Jalashwa and Kavaratti along with their embarked helicopters was held in the Bay of Bengal from 02 to 03 Nov 2022. The exercises included tactical manoeuvres, helicopter landings and amphibious operations, which signified the high degree of interoperability between IN and RAN.
RAN ships HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Anzac visited Visakhapatnam from 30 Oct to 01 Nov 2022. This was part of Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2022 . The Australian Defence Forces were hosted by the Eastern Naval Command. Ships of the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet as also personnel from the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force participated in various joint activities.
The harbour phase included a wide range of professional interactions including experience sharing, joint planning activities and friendly sports exchanges. The successful completion of the exercise marks another milestone in the growing India-Australia military interactions.
Ministry of Defence
NCC cadets felicitated by Vice Admiral AK Chawla
A felicitation ceremony was held on 18 Feb 2020 at the premises of the Headquarters, Southern Naval Command Kochi to felicitate the NCC cadets of the Ernakulam Group for their stupendous performance during the Republic Day Parade 2020 at New Delhi. Vice Admiral AK Chawla, PVSM, AVSM, NM, VSM, ADC, The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command was the Chief Guest. The Commander in Chief was presented an impressive tri-services NCC Guard of Honour. A total of 150 senior and junior NCC cadets from various educational institutions of Ernakulam and Thrissur district attended the function.
The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief awarded cash prize, mementoes and certificates to NCC Cadets, Bhavana S Pai, Gold medallist for Best cadet Senior Wing , Cdt Arpita Ranjit, All India 4th position in the Best cadet Senior Wing  category , Cdt Sneha Bronze medallist Horse Riding competition, Cdt Kathiya Varghese Best in cultural competition, Cdt Tejasree Praveen All India 5th position in Best cadet Junior Wing category.
Addressing the NCC cadets, The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief stated that NCC has played a pivotal role in Nation Building and therefore it is important to lay high emphasis on Training and Discipline. He exhorted the NCC cadets to work with utmost dedication and sincerity. He praised the NCC Gp HQs Ernakulam for excellent work in the field of Social service activities like Swachh Bharath Abhiyan, Afforestation plantation drive, Anti-Tobacco/Anti-Drug abuse campaign, Traffic awareness campaign and Flood relief activities.
The NCC Group Headquarters, Ernakulam commanded by Commmodore RR Ayyar, VSM, has been in the forefront of all NCC training and social service activities. During the training year 2019-20 the various NCC units of the Gp HQs located at Ernakulam and Thrissur carried out extensive training to prepare cadets for the All India Competitions. The Ernakulam Group HQs was also winner of the IGC-RDC  Banner competition after a gap of six years.
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Ministry of Defence
VICE ADMIRAL DINESH K TRIPATHI, AVSM, NM ASSUMES CHARGE AS CHIEF OF PERSONNEL OF INDIAN NAVY
VAdm Dinesh K Tripathi, AVSM, NM, has assumed charge as Chief of Personnel today, on 01 Jun 2021. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy Khadakwasla and was commissioned in the Navy on 01 Jul 1985. The Flag Officer is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare and has served on frontline warships of the Navy as Signal Communication Officer and Electronic Warfare Officer and later as the Executive Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Destroyer INS Mumbai.
A graduate of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, where he was awarded the Thimmaiya Medal, Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has attended Naval Higher Command Course and Naval Command College at the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island in 2007-08, where he won the prestigious Robert Bateman International Prize.
He has commanded INS Vinash, INS Kirch and INS Trishul and has held various important operational and staff appointments which include Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet at Mumbai, Director of Naval Operations, Principle Director Network Centric Operations, Principal Director Naval Plans, and Assistant Chief of Naval Staff  at Naval Headquarters.
The Flag Officer has commanded the Eastern Fleet from 15 Jan 2018 to 30 Mar 2019. On promotion to the rank of Vice Admiral in Jun 2019, the Flag Officer was appointed as the Commandant of the prestigious Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala. The Academy was awarded the President’s Colour in Nov 2019 by the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. He was the Director General of Naval Operations, from 29 Jul 2020 till 31 May 2021, a period that witnessed a very high tempo of naval/ maritime operations. He ensured that Navy remained a Combat Ready, Cohesive and Credible force, ready to tackle security challenges in the wake of situation on the LAC, in Western Arabian sea/ Gulf region and other hot spots despite all round severity of COVID Pandemic..
Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi is a recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Nausena Medal for devotion to duty. The Flag Officer is a keen Student of International Relations, Military History, and art & science of Leadership.
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Ministry of Minority Affairs
Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi flags off 1st batch of 300 Haj pilgrims from New Delhi Airport
The Minister of State for Minority Affairs  & Parliamentary Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today morning flagged off the first batch of 300 Haj pilgrims from New Delhi Airport with prayers of country’s safety and prosperity.
Shri Naqvi congratulated to Haj pilgrims and extended best wishes to them for their pilgrimage. Shri Naqvi said that the Ministry of Minority Affairs, in cooperation with Haj Committee of India and other concerned agencies, had completed preparations for Haj 2017 well before in time to ensure smooth Haj pilgrimage.
Shri Naqvi said that new Haj Policy 2018 will be finalised soon and Haj from next year will be organised according to this new Haj policy. A high-level committee constituted in this regard will soon submit its report. The new Haj policy is aimed at making Haj process transparent and smooth.
Shri Naqvi also said that reviving the option of sending Haj pilgrims through sea route also is part of the new Haj policy. Sending pilgrims through ships will help cut down travel expenses by nearly half as compared to airfares. It will be a revolutionary, pro-poor, pilgrim-friendly decision. The practice of ferrying Haj pilgrims between Mumbai and Jeddah by waterways was stopped from 1995.
Shri Naqvi said that another advantage with ships available these days is they are modern and well-equipped to ferry 4,000 to 5,000 persons at a time. They can cover the 2,300-odd nautical miles one-side distance between Mumbai and Jeddah within just two-three days. Earlier, the old ships used to take 12 to 15 days to cover this distance.
Saudi Arabia has increased annual Haj quota of India by 34,005. After significant increase in India’s Haj quota by Saudi Arabia Government, a total of 1,70,025 people have been going to Haj pilgrimage this year from India out of which 1,25,025 pilgrims will go through Haj Committee of India while 45,000 people will go through Private Tour Operators from 21 embarkation points. 1628 Haj pilgrims will go from Delhi. A total of 16,600 people will go from Delhi embarkation point which include Haj pilgrims from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.
Besides Delhi, Haj pilgrims are going to Saudi Arab today from embarkation points in Goa, Guwahati, Lucknow, Mangalore, Varanasi, Srinagar and Kolkata today. Haj Flights will also go from Gaya , Ranchi, Kolkata, Bhopal and Bangalore , Nagpur , Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Chennai, Cochin & Jaipur  and Indore and Hyderabad .
The 21 embarkation points include- Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Guwahati, Lucknow, Mangalore, Varanasi, Srinagar, Kolkata, Gaya, Ranchi, Bhopal, Bangalore, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Chennai, Cochin, Jaipur, Indore, Hyderabad.
A total of 10958 Haj pilgrims from Ahmedabad, 11657 from Cochin, 12380 from Lucknow, 5605 from Mumbai, 2729 from Aurangabad, 4641 from Bangalore, 3370 from Chennai, 4483 from Guwahati, 6273 from Hyderabad, 4777 from Jaipur, 10348 from Kolkata, 2187 from Nagpur, 3159 Haj pilgrims from Ranchi have been going to Haj this year.
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Ministry of Science & Technology
New solar thermal components testing facility at Hyderabad to give further fillip to India’s growing solar sector
A newly established Concentrated Solar Thermal  based test rig facility at Hyderabad can help the growing solar industry in India to test capability and performance of solar thermal components like solar receiver tubes, heat transfer fluids, concentrating mirrors.
The facility set up by the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials , an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology , will validate solar thermal components such as solar receiver tubes, heat transfer fluids, concentrating mirrors, and AR coated glass tubes, etc. of the CST system in field conditions.
It will validate the indigenous components by parallelly comparing the performance  of the standard components with varying the operating parameters  operating temperature, pressures, etc.) and different DNI  conditions.
The development of solar thermal technologies for low and medium-temperature applications requires much attention of indigenous solar thermal components manufacturing facilities and cost-effective engineering designs because most of the solar thermal companies import solar thermal components, particularly from China and Europe.
In this regard, ARCI is working on the development of cost-effective solar receiver tubes, anti-reflective  coated glass covers, nanostructured material-based thermic fluids, and durable reflective mirrors to enhance the performance and cutting down the cost of the solar thermal systems in India.
Apart from the development, the testing and validation of the components in real-field conditions are critical for the deployment of solar thermal technology. In order to cater to this need, ARCI has established a concentrated solar thermal-based single-axis parabolic trough test rig facility sponsored by the Technology Research Centre  project, DST, Govt. of India.
The parabolic-trough test rig facility has features for simultaneous testing of standard and indigenous solar receiver tubes. It has a thermic fluid-based closed-loop system which can operate between 50 to 350°C temperature range. It can conduct heat gain studies in real-field conditions with the actual measurement of solar irradiance condition and has an electrical heater support for measuring the actual heat loss of solar receivers at different operating temperatures.
ARCI’s test rig facility provides the performance of indigenously developed solar thermal components in real-field operating conditions, thus attracting greater interest from the industries. Recently, HPCL R&D, Bangalore, has sanctioned a project to ARCI for validating their indigenously developed heat transfer fluids with the comparison of a world-leading commercial product.
For further information contact: Dr.S.Sakthivel, Head, Centre for Solar Energy Materials, ARCI at ssakthivel[at]arci[dot]res[dot]in.
SS/RKP
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Ministry of Finance
Now the GST Taxpayers can file their GSTR-3B Returns in a Staggered Manner
Considering the difficulties faced by trade and industry in filing of returns, the government has decided to introduce several measures to ease the process. The Finance Ministry today said that now GST taxpayers can file their GSTR-3B returns in a staggered manner.
Presently the last date of filing GSTR-3B returns for every taxpayer is 20th of every month. From now on, the last date for filing of GSTR-3B for the taxpayers having annual turnover of Rs 5 crore and above in the previous financial year would be 20th of the month. Thus, around 8 lakh regular taxpayers would have the last date of GSTR-3B filing as 20th of every month without late fees.
The taxpayers having annual turnover below Rs 5 crore in previous financial year will be divided further in two categories. The tax filers from 15 States/ UTs, i.e., Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will now be having the last date of filing GSTR-3B returns as 22nd of the month without late fees. This category would have around 49 lakh GSTR-3B filers who would now have 22nd of every month as their last date for filing GSTR-3B returns.
For the remaining 46 lakh taxpayers from the 22 States/UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, Laddakh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha having annual turnover below Rs 5 crore in previous financial year will now be having last date of filing the GSTR-3B as 24th of the month without late fees.
The Finance Ministry said that the necessary notification in this regard would be issued later by the competent authority.
In a statement issues, the Ministry further said that it has also taken a note of difficulties and concerns expressed by the taxpayers regarding filing of GSTR-3B and other returns. The matter has been discussed by the GSTN with Infosys, the Managed Service Provider, which has come out with above solution to de-stress the process as a temporary but immediate measure. For further improving the performance of GSTN filing portal on permanent basis, several technological measures are being worked out with Infosys and will be in place by April 2020.
Ministry of Railways
Facilities to returning migrants by Indian Railways
To facilitate the stranded labourers and other persons, Indian Railways operated 4621 Shramik Special trains between 1st May, 2020 and 31st August, 2020 to help them in reaching their respective home states. Shramik Special trains were requisitioned by State Governments and under normal circumstances, such special trains are booked by State Government/any agency or by an individual on Full Tariff Rates which include normal fare for both directions, service charge, empty haulage charge, detention charge etc.
However, Indian Railways allowed booking of Shramik Specials on normal fare for one direction only and did not collect any fare directly from the passengers. Railways collected fare for Shramik Special trains from State Governments or their authorized representatives. Further, to ensure safety of passengers and contain spread of COVID-19 pandemic, Railways made Special arrangements like enhanced sanitization, special security, medical arrangement, rake sanitization, free meals, water etc. in Shramik trains. The State Government and Indian Railways served food and water free of cost. In all, the Railways have served 1.96 Crore meals and over 2.19 Crore Packaged Drinking Water Bottles apart from the services provided by the respective State Governments during the period.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Coal
Coal India Subsidiary NCL sets up ‘SARAS’ to promote innovation & R&D
Coal India’s flagship subsidiary NCL has set up a centre named “Science and Applied Research Alliance and Support” to promote Innovation, Research & Development and skill development along with improving company’s operational efficiency and utilize resources at optimum level. NCL CMD Shri Prabhat Kumar Sinha announced this pioneering move in Indian coal sector at a National Seminar on Innovation Driving Productivity with Special Focus on Coal, Power, Steel and MSME Sectors organized by World Confederation of Productivity Science in New Delhi today.
“SARAS will help and enable the company in Integration of Innovation and Research for enhancing coal production, productivity, and safety in mines. The company has set up a dedicated R&D Centre in collaboration with IIT  and have already commenced 6 varied domain projects worth ₹ 60 Million to facilitate this move.” Shri Sinha Said in the seminar.
Besides, the SARAS would also help establish centres of excellence to ensure technical support to R&D along with thrust on quality skill development and employment to local youths in and around company’s operational area. Continuous improvement of the existing technical infrastructure of the company for operational efficiency and integrating all initiatives with common tech platforms for optimum utilization of resources are also the objectives of setting up this centre.
CMD NCL Shri Sinha was also elected as a fellow of the World Academy of Productivity Science in the seminar for his significant and longitudinal contributions to the improvement of productivity, quality of work and other countless contributions to the coal sector.
NCL accounts for 15 per cent of India’s coal production and 10 per cent of thermal power generation of the country is met by the coal produced by this Miniratna Company of Govt. of India. The company produces more than 100 million tonnes of coal every year. It has planned to produce 107 million tonnes of coal in the current fiscal.